Delhi airport: IndiGo flyers had to wait longest for baggage claim in 2016

A letter by DIAL to IndiGo written in October reveals the slow baggage delivery services by the airline as compared to other airlines. DIAL observed that domestic arrival baggage delivery of IndiGo airlines is not meeting the parameters of 10 minutes for first bag and 30 minutes for last bag as set by ministry of civil aviation

IndiGo was the worst performer in baggage delivery with only 74% of its baggage making it on time. The data, that was last compiled in October, is calculated on quarterly basis. (Prasad Gori/ HT file)

Last year, passengers travelling with IndiGo to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport had to wait the longest to claim their checked-in baggage, a letter written by the airport operator DIAL to the airline states.

A monthly analysis by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) revealed that IndiGo baggage clearance took the maximum time and did not meet the parameters set by the ministry of civil aviation.

The letter written by DIAL to IndiGo in October last year, a copy of which is with the Hindustan Times, gives details of baggage arrival performance. “DIAL has been compiling baggage delivery timing as one of the measures to monitor service quality at IGI. It is observed that domestic arrival baggage delivery of IndiGo airlines is not meeting the parameters of 10 minutes for first bag and 30 minutes for last bag as set by ministry of civil aviation,” says the letter written by the chief operating officer of the Delhi airport.

According to the data compiled by the operator for October 2016, GoAir had the best performance with 98.08% of its baggage arriving on time. Airlines under service provider AISATS were the second best with 97.6% of their baggage reaching on time. Spice Jet was the third with 96.17%. IndiGo was the worst performer in baggage delivery with only 74% of its baggage making it on time. The data, that was last compiled in October, is calculated on quarterly basis.

“DIAL’s aviation service department has been in touch with IndiGo officials at IGI airport but there has not been any significant improvement in this regard,” the letter further said.

An email query sent to both DIAL and IndiGo on Monday evening remained unanswered till the filing of this report.

In October 2016, the performance of IndiGo for the first bag was 64.71% while for the last bag was 82.48%. The airline handled 141 flights on an average per day in that month.

“Apart from operating flights on time, the airlines are also supposed to ensure timely arrival of check-in baggage so that passengers do not have to wait at the baggage belt for long. All the airlines have been told to follow the set standards otherwise showcause notice will be issued to them,” said an official of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation.